RISE 1 Spotlight: Heather Monroe

Thursday, November 10, 2016 sees the debut event of RISE: Developing Tomorrow’s Women Athletes. 40 up and coming women will descend on the Berwyn Eagles Club in Berwyn, Illinois to partake in a world class development seminar Participants will learn from former SHIMMER Champion Sweet Saraya Knight and Colt Cabana while vying for the opportunity to compete on RISE 1: Ignite later that evening.

Two participants have not only secured a spot on the Ignite card, but also have their match confirmed. I had the opportunity to visit with one of those women, Heather Monroe, about her career and the inaugural RISE event.

Scott: Could you give our readers a little bit of information about yourself? Where are you from? Heather: I’m originally from Des Moines, IA but I live in Los Angeles, CA now.

Scott: Where do, or have, you trained? Heather: I trained at Santino Bros Wrestling Academy.Scott: How long have you been involved in wrestling? Heather: I’ve been working for a little over a year.Scott: Where have you worked (and titles held)? Heather: I have worked all over Southern California and Arizona and through a tour with Puscifer I travelled all over the US and Europe wrestling as a Lucha Libre act.

Scott: What made you decide to start training to become a professional wrestler? Heather: I always loved wrestling, I watched it when I was younger and I really felt a connection with the women and what they were doing. I moved out to California and decided a couple of years ago to finally bite the bullet and do it and it has been the best decision I ever made.

Scott: Your #YG2, You’ve Got Two, video has highlights of some of your work in Southern California. What is the women’s wrestling scene like in your area? Heather: We have some very talented women in So Cal. It’s a growing scene but there are still only a few women so getting the chance to go and do RISE and meet and work with new women is a huge plus for me.

Scott: So far in your career, who has been your favorite opponent? Why? Heather: Last month I wrestled WWS Champion Diosa Athena and she was a really awesome women to work with. Her experience and abilities gave me an opportunity to learn and I really appreciated that.

Scott: Let’s talk about RISE. The seminar and show, RISE 1: Ignite, has been created by Kevin Harvey to Develop Tomorrow’s Women Athletes. What do you hope to get out of this experience? Heather: Like I said I am very excited to get the opportunity to meet and work with women that I might not have the opportunity to work with otherwise. I also hope to get my name out there more through the seminar.

Scott: In the spirit of developing talent for the future, where are some of the places that you would like to start working (i.e. any particular promotions, tours of other countries, etc)? Heather: Obviously Shimmer is a huge goal of mine and this is a great chance to show what I’ve got for them. I also would love to do more work on the east coast, I know there are a lot of great women out there that I want the chance to work with.

Scott: In the #MOMC, Match of My Career, competition that wrapped up earlier this month, you submitted a match against Ruby Raze with Santino Brothers Wrestling. What about that match made you decide it was the Match of Your Career? Heather: I really think the story that we told in the match was a good one. She’s a great wrestler and someone that I’ve met on numerous occasions so I think I used the right advantages against her during that and felt really great about my effort.

Scott: In the #MOMC competition, fans voted your match as the best match, tied with Kate Carney. As Kevin said, since there can be no ties, you have a guaranteed spot on RISE 1: Ignite and will be facing Kate in a battle of the #MOMC winners. How does it feel to not only be one of the first seminar participants to get a guaranteed spot on the RISE 1 card, but also to be the first match announced? Heather: I am so incredibly excited. All I wanted was to get a chance to show what I’m made out of and now that I know that opportunity is there I can step it up even more and show how hungry I am.

Scott: Is there anything you would like to say to Kate Carney ahead of your match against her? Heather: I like what Kate brings to the table with her energy and we have a lot in common but when it comes down to it I’ll show everyone who wants it more.